Regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have spent the better part of three years trying to kill the London interbank offered rate. Now, they're looking to it once again to underpin hundreds of billions of dollars in loans as they seek to rescue their economies.

The move by the European bank regulator is a policy shift as profitability at the region's banks continues to suffer from negative rates; the German bank paid $1.1 million to win business from a senior Saudi royal.

Lenders have until the end of 2021 to phase out their use of the London Interbank Offered Rate in setting interest rates, but ServisFirst Bancshares and its CEO Tom Broughton see little reason to wait when a replacement is already available.

The agency’s semiannual report warned institutions to be mindful of operational risks from the innovation in core banking systems, and detailed supervisory steps to monitor the adoption of a new reference rate.